Adopted in 1980. The flag of Syria has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black. Two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band. The band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody. struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the current design dates to 1980 (ref: CIA World Factbook)